Communication networks transfer information, such as data, voice, text or video information, among communication devices connected to the networks. Most enterprises employ local area networks (LANs), such as those based on the Ethernet protocol, to interconnect the various devices within the enterprise. Most LANs are connectionless, where data is transmitted without error to a high degree of probability, but there is no guarantee of delivery. If data is not properly received, the receiving station will simply discard the data without notifying the sender.
In addition, even when data is successfully transmitted over a transport network, data can be lost due to buffer unavailability at the receiving station. If a receiving station is unable to receive and process data at a rate greater than or equal to the transmission rate of the transmitting station, the buffer at the receiving station can overflow. The loss of data due to buffer unavailability has the same effect as a frame that is lost due to a bit error. Thus, it is desirable to suspend or reduce the arrival of data packets rather than permit an overflow condition to occur at the buffer. A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for flow control in LANs.
The IEEE 802.3x data communication protocol specifies a port-based flow control arrangement for full duplex Ethernet links based on a flow control message, such as a “pause” frame. A transmitting station that receives the pause frame enters a pause state in which the transmission of frames on the network is suspended for a specified time, thereby relieving congestion at the receiver. This port-based flow control arrangement, however, requires significant buffering and can significantly lower the average bandwidth.
A number of LANs are often connected in a larger network, such as a wide area network (WAN). While the Ethernet protocol is well suited to the LAN environment, the Ethernet protocol is not a viable option for WANs, primarily because the Ethernet collision avoidance mechanism limits the permissible distance of the furthest station and privacy issues related to separation of traffic over a transport network. Thus, in order to permit communication between LANs in an efficient, seamless and reliable manner, high-speed transport links between various LANs was needed.
In order to meet increased bandwidth demands, fiber optic systems, such as Synchronous Optical Networks (SONETs), are often employed as transport links in a WAN. If an egress LAN that is receiving packets from a remote transmitting station over a WAN link is unable to receive and process the packets at a rate greater than or equal to the transmission rate of the ingress LAN, the buffer associated with the egress LAN can overflow. Thus, when a frequency offset exists between the egress and ingress LANs, such that the frequency of the ingress LAN exceeds the frequency of the egress LAN, the egress buffer will eventually overflow.
A need therefore exists for a method for compensating for frequency differences between the ingress and egress Ethernet frequencies of a transport link. When transporting packets between an ingress and egress LAN, a further need exists for maintaining lossless service regardless of any differences in the ingress and egress Ethernet frequencies, regardless of the speed of the Ethernet connection (e.g., 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, or 1 Gbps).